Home Guard Parade

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1941: The Peterborough Group of the Home Guard consisted of two battalions - the city and the soke. On this Friday, the largest muster of the city battalion was present when it paraded past a saluting base set up in front of the Town Hall. Brigadier-General Sir Hereward Wake, Commandant of the Northamptonshire Group, was supposed to have taken the salute but he had been called away to see the king, so his deputy, Colonel Hobson, filled in. For some strange reason, the parade was led by a gramophone, with an amplifier mounted on a lorry. This was NOT a good idea as few could hear the music. (Gray, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Gray, 2011)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.

Death of John Thompson, Builder and Renovator

1897

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The John Thompson saga starts in about 1820 when his father (also called John Thompson) came to Peterborough to carry our restorations to Peterborough Cathedral. With his stonework skill and his associate, Francis Ruddle’s woodworking skills the firm gradually took off. He died in 1853 and John Thompson (Jr) took over and by 1860 he was constructing major buildings and restoring Cathedrals. At its peak the firm employed over a 1000 men. His success was such that he was Mayor of Peterborough four times! After his death the firm was carried on by his sons, so the John Thompson story involves more than just one man.

In later years the firm of John Thompson (and associated companies) specialised in the provision of Church artefacts and furniture such as: altars, pews, lecterns, screens, war memorials, grave goods, organ cases, pulpits, clergy seats, desks, stools and alter rails, many fine examples of this work can be found in St Johns Church in Peterborough. The firm also built private houses and continued to build major projects but to a smaller scale (from about 1914) until in 1931 the firm went into voluntary liquidation and finally ceased trading in 1938.

A quote from The Architect and Contract Reporter for 10^th February 1888 says of the firm's work:

‘It is not only the structural work which is undertaken, but sculpture in wood and stone. Everything is done to ensure purity of style. Casts, photographs and drawings of the finest models are obtained, and the workshops at Peterborough are undoubtedly a most excellent art school’.

The Peterborough archive houses the John Thompson archive, consisting of over 1400 photographs plus other documents. These clearly demonstrate the very special work of John Thompson and his associates.

Projects include:

Restorations of Cathedrals

Peterborough (Central Tower and West Front)
Lincoln
Rochester
Chester
Winchester (carried out major restorations including working with a diver to underpin the main walls which were about to collapse).
Hereford
Ripon
Litchfield
Bangor
Coventry (before it became a Cathedral)

Restoration of Churches

St Johns Peterborough
Paris: construction of the tower and spire to the American Cathedral
Orton Longville Church
Cromer Church: extending the Nave.

Plus many others

New Build Churches

St Marks Peterborough
Tower of St Mary’s Church Peterborough
St Barnibus church Peterborough
St Pauls Church Peterborough

These are just the Peterborough churches, there are at least 50 others spread throughout the country

Secular Projects

Glasgow University (two phases)
Selwyn College Cambridge
St Peters Training College Peterborough 1863
Extensions to the Infirmary (now Peterborough Museum)
Royal College of Music Kensington
Kings School Peterborough
Lonely Anzac Memorial

(Research work done by Andrew Cole)

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Death of Arthur Mellows

1948

Information

Arthur Mellows was a Mayor of Peterborough. Born in 1896 he worked as a solicitor, but he was also an officer of the local Home Guard during the war. He was keen on improving education in the city and helped to make changes to the education system in Peterborough.

Tragedy

He was returning home from a day's shooting in October 1948 with his dog and a friend. As they reached the Conington Level Crossing his friend got out of the car to open the crossing gates. Mellows noticed a stationary train to the south, obviously waiting for a signal change. He started to drive across the crossing, keeping a keen watch on the train to the south. Unfortunately, in watching that train he completely failed to notice an oncoming train from the north. The train from the north hit his car killing both him and his dog. Conington Crossing was well known as an accident blackspot, and this was the second fatal accident in this year.

Arthur Mellows' Legacy

Arthur Mellows is commemorated by the secondary school in Glinton named after him, Arthur Mellows Village College. His dog is buried by the crossing.

Reference:

Haunted Peterborough, Orme,S. The History Press 2012

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Railways , mayor

Image of Long Causeway

1902-1910

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This image shows a view looking north from the Old Market Square, now Cathedral Square. In the foreground you can see the memorial water fountain which is now situated in the Bishop Road Gardens. This fountain was a gift in 1898 to the people of Peterborough from the widow of Peterborough’s first Mayor, Henry Pearson Gates (1813-1893)

Peterborough’s tram system began in 1903 and was superseded by more flexible motor buses in 1930.There were three tram routes, Westgate, via Lincoln Rd to Sages Lane, Westgate via Lincoln Rd to St Pauls Rd and Midgate to Eye Rd.

This image has been produced from an original postcard of the time. Publisher unknown, from the Jacqui Catling Collection.

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Postcards , Long Causeway , Trams , Henry Pearson Gates , mayor

Former Mayors Jailed for Electoral Fraud

2008

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9 October 2008 saw the final act of the Peterborough 2004 election vote rigging scandal when Raja Akhtar, the Conservative Mayor of Peterborough in 2004, was sentenced to three months in jail for electoral fraud, at Norwich Crown Court. Mohammed Khaliq and Abdul Razaq, both Conservatives, were sentenced to two months and five months respectively for the same offence. These were not the first convictions for vote rigging in the 2004 election, Labour party members, former mayor Mohammed Choudhary, candidate Maqbool Hussein and party official Tariq Mahmood were jailed in April 2008.

All six men were caught as part of ‘Operation Hooper’, launched by Cambridgeshire police after residents turning up at the ballot box to vote were turned away after being told their vote had already been cast. The investigation revealed that the men had tampered with postal voting forms, sending ballot papers to away addresses so they could hijack them.

The detective who led the 1 million operation said he hoped that the prison sentences would bring back confidence to Peterborough voters who had lost faith in the election process.

The judge in the trial of Akhtar, Khaliq and Razaq, Alasdair Darroch, told the trio:

"It is a very sad day. There are few cases where so many good things have been said about the defendants. But electors need to be sure every vote cast is genuine. The public has to have confidence in elections, and a clear message is, if you interfere with the electoral process, you will go to prison."

Reference:

Peterborough Telegraph 10 October 2008

mayor , Elections , Fraud

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Home Guard Parade

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Death of John Thompson, Builder and Renovator

1897

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Death of Arthur Mellows

1948

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Tragedy

Arthur Mellows' Legacy

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Image of Long Causeway

1902-1910

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Former Mayors Jailed for Electoral Fraud

2008

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Death of John Thompson, Bui…

Death of Arthur Mellows

Image of Long Causeway

Former Mayors Jailed for El…

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Home Guard Parade

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Death of John Thompson, Builder and Renovator

1897

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Death of Arthur Mellows

1948

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Tragedy

Arthur Mellows' Legacy

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1902-1910

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2008

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Death of Arthur Mellows

Image of Long Causeway

Former Mayors Jailed for El…